Newsletter 9/15/2015

Why are some people rejected by Harvard and accepted by Princeton? Moreover, why do people get drastically different admissions decisions at schools of similar caliber? It can’t simply be attributed to admissions officers feeling cranky.

The reality is that schools – especially great ones – have personalities, and they look for students who fit them! This week, we brought in AdmitSee, the resource for viewing thousands of recent successful applications, to help you figure out your school’s personality so you can be sure your essays fit your dream school perfectly.

As always, you can view our entire newsletter archive here. If you haven’t already signed up for our $10,000 scholarship essay contest, be sure to do so now! You don’t even need to have an essay prepared to enter. Better yet, AdmitSee gives away a $1,000 scholarship every month without any work required; just sign up here to enter.

A perfect example of school personality differences arises between Harvard and Stanford. These elite universities seem to compete for students, but their personalities could not be more different.

According to a recent study by AdmitSee that analyzed their database of 15,000 applications, accepted Harvard essays tend to be more accomplishment focused, while accepted Stanford essays focus more on passion and personal anecdotes. Harvard students are more likely to refer to their parents as “mother” and “father,” while Stanford students preferred “mom” and “dad.”

Unlike Harvard and Stanford, Dartmouth and Columbia prefer to hear about life changing moments. Cornell and UPenn liked hearing about career aspirations. Just about every college has some sort of preference!

Once you’ve got your favorite school’s personality down, we at Prompt would love to help you make your essay perfect. For $28 for 48-hour feedback or $37 for 6-hour feedback, we’ll help ensure your essay has exactly the personality it needs (just tell us what personality you’re looking for!). Upload your essay now!

The college application season is flying by: the first early action deadlines are only six weeks away. Start working on your masterpiece if you haven’t already!